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Wednesday, 31 December 2014

I don't really know why I am writing this New Year Ramble...probably because I am about to self combust at the amount of clichés stuck around my facebook and twitter feeds. Am I the only one that finds it excruciatingly cringy? I mean to be honest, New Year is great... I love that it feels fresh and clean and that you are ready for anything, but there are a few things that I just believe demonstrates a bad attitude of the human race.

Do we really need New Year's resolutions?

I was up late last night thinking about this, and about how the run up to the New Year is where people basically pick out all of the faults that they have with themselves, and list all of the things they want to change in the New Year. Inevitably, a lot of the time we only care about these resolutions for a couple of weeks into January and then really do not give a stuff until after Christmas again. But why should we be so negative? Why should New Year be about picking out our faults to improve on for the next year? Can we not just be happy with the way we are doing things now?

Another thing I thought about is something that I have actually spoke about on my blog before, here. It is about how if there is something that we want to improve on why do we wait? I feel as though if you want to start drinking more water, start today for goodness sake! Why should you have to wait until the New Year to start doing something to make you a better being? Do it now... go and get a glass of water now if you want to drink more.

Look at it more positively!

Your year was great really, unfortunately, because of the way the brain is structured we tend to remember the bad stuff more greatly. But look at the photos you have taken this year, think about all of the things you have actually done this year. It has been great this year really. Okay, so you may have fallen out with one or two friends... or perhaps something worse, and they will be more prevalent memories, but you also had an amazing time when you spent the summer at the beach, or found that amazing handbag in the sale last January. Don't forget the good stuff.

Time flies when you are having fun!

It is one of those things that we have always been told since we were small... that time flies when we are having fun. Henceforth, the reason 2014 really has flown by is because you had an awesome time. You went on some brilliant adventures, you tried sushi for the first time *okay... I didn't, but we don't talk about that!*, and you even faced a fear of yours that you have been hiding away from for years, and you even poured a bucket of ice over yourself, as a selfless act for charity. 2014 wasn't terrible, 2014 was a journey. We learnt from our mistakes, but we also grew from our experiences. Of course 2015 may be greater, and we may decide to put in more to get out more in the New Year. But do not forget the brilliant fun you had this year.

Sunday, 28 December 2014

I told you I would be posting again, didn't I? Anyway, I thought I would do a little post on some things that I would like to achieve in the next year, as it is always good to set yourself some goals, but these are slightly different from resolutions, they are just things that I would really like to do. Things that I would like to experience and achieve.

1. Do a colour run.

2. Go to a concert.

3. Save for something nice, a camera or new laptop.

4. Go to London with my friends... I need to grow up and actually brave it.

5. Try sushi... I still haven't done that yet.

6. Treat my family more.

7. Give more to charity... through fundraising and things.

8. Be more sociable.

9. Have more technology free days.

10. Be more me on my blog... I know I honestly started to enjoy it less when I was being told what to write *the blogmas project hasn't particularly suited me very well*.

11. Experiment more with my makeup and fashion.

12. Go ice-skating.

13. Go on lots of trip with my friends.

14. Passing my driving test would be quite nice.

15. Become organised like I used to be.

16. Use my time wisely... scrolling though Twitter multiple times a day really does not count.

Today I thought I would share with you what I got for Christmas and my Birthday as I was meant to do it yesterday for Blogmas and also because it was highly enjoyed by you all last year. I would like to say before I start this post that I am extremely grateful for everything that I received, and I am not trying to brag in any way. I hope you enjoy this little post, and also had a great Christmas, because I know we haven't spoken since then.

I am going to try and go through all of my stuff systematically because I already feel like I could be rambling for a while otherwise, and this post may be quite the struggle to write, as I was very lucky this year and received quite a lot of bits and bobs, which after I write this I will be trying to find a home for... and oh boy I am terrible at tidying things away, I get so easily distracted... but needs must!

Firstly I will go through my main presents, as I presume they are the things that you will all be most excited to hear about, as much as I was to receive. The first thing I got was a subscription to Spotify Premium...well... technically I'm paying for it at the moment, but I'm sure my Mum will sort out the standing order soon. I then got some Original Cloud 9 hair straighteners, and "oh my word" these are lifesavers. I'd been using the same set of cheap straigheners for years, but these new ones actually hold my hairs straight-ness, leave my hair looking glossy and also have different heat settings. From my friends I also got the Zoeva Rose Gold makeup brush kit, and it is the best surprise I think I have ever received... I literally... gah... I can't!!

Another one of my most exciting gifts, mainly because it was something very different to anything I have is the MAC lipstick in Amplified Violetta. It is the most amazing shade of purple, and although it looks particularly scary in the packaging, it is actually beautiful when put on.

A few fashion bits that I received were some... what I normally describe as "Bob the Builder" boots with a little bit of a heel, these look absolutely incredible, and I love the fact that they go with so many of my clothes. I also got a poncho *which I forgot to photograph* from Next, and it is a lovely beige colour with an Aztec pattern on it, and a turtle neck.

For my secret santa I received some Vanilla Chai Yankee Candle tea lights, which smell like minced pies, and some lovely love heart shaped tea light holders. I also received a Yankee Candle Christmas Eve votive as well from another friend.

Some little stocking filler bits I received were a Kitchen timer in the shape of a Kitchenaid from a friend, it was technically a Birthday present. Some bars of soap from Bomb Cosemetics. A little Ted Baker gift set with some nice bath bits inside. A little metal mug, with some chocolate on the inside; an i.scout bandana type thingmabob, and many pairs of socks., as well as some new hockey gloves as mine were on their last legs.

Other hair things that I received included a hair wrap thing that I can use to help dry my hair after I have washed it. I was so happy with this gift because my hair literally holds water like a camel, it will not dry! I also got a little Tresemmé kit that includes a mini shampoo, conditioner, hairspray and a mini hairbrush.

I also got the book Girl Online, by Zoe Sugg, which I was so chuffed about that I actually finished the book by the end of Boxing Day! I will however do a review of the book, as I know there has been a lot of iffyness over it, but I really enjoyed it... and I am not just saying that because it is Zoe's book.

I also got some bath bits, which included 4 shower gels from the Bodyshop, in the flavours, Moringa, Honeymania, Olive and Strawberry. I got a Radox set which had their raspberry shower cream and coconut shower cream included and finally a Lynx Attract gift set. Lets hope all of these smelly's aren't really because people are trying to tell me I smell.

I also got some of my favourite ever DVDs which I was so pleased about because I have been wanting to watch them for too long now. These include Les Miserables and The Fault in our Stars.

Finally, I received a life supply of chocolate... not literally, but it feels like I have got that much now, and I will have to eat it all before it melts! And also quite a bit of money as well as a Topshop voucher, and as I get paid this week and it is the sales, I will most probably be going shopping... so expect a haul pretty soon.

I hope you enjoyed this very long post on all of the things that I received. I would just like to say thank you to anyone that wished me a Merry Christmas and made this year special, I am a very lucky girl.

Tuesday, 23 December 2014

It may not come to any surprise to you when I hold my hand up and say, "I am a terrible blogger!". I am supposed to be blogging everyday this month yet haven't written in a week. I feel absolutely terrible and honestly wish I could have written all of the blog posts I had planned because I was so excited about them. What I failed to realise is that December would be a very busy month for me when I signed up for the #bigblogmasproject2014.

So far this month I have started a proper job, had coursework deadlines at school, celebrated my 17th birthday, started learning to drive, as well as all of the Christmas celebrations in between and being in the school's pantomime. I also did not realise that I would be poorly for a good 2 weeks, which has been absolutely horrible considering the fact that I never normally get ill. For all of these reasons I haven't been able to properly commit to this challenge, however I am hoping I am back and able to post for the rest of the month now that school has ended and I am now feeling quite a bit better.

Anyway, today's post is about my Christmas jumper, which I can honestly say is the best Christmas jumper EVER!

My Christmas jumper was bought 2 years ago when Republic was still on the go and I was so excited when I saw it because it is quite different from what I had seen everybody else wearing. It is a cream cable knit jumper with pastel blue, and pink details all over it. It has reindeer going all around the chest area, which makes it festive, and it is completely subtle unlike most Christmas jumpers which don't tend to be at all stylish.

I have decided that next Christmas it will be time for me to invest in a new Christmas jumper, because I need to wear them so many times over the Christmas holidays. I am thinking however, I could quickly nab one in the sales after Christmas because they are quite expensive considering you can only really wear them at one time of the year.

Tuesday, 16 December 2014

This is quite a difficult post for me because I read so many blogs and love so many of them. However, I am choosing to speak about some blogs that A. You may have not heard of and B. Have spoken to me online in the past.

I'm only going to talk about 3 of them because I feel as though I want time to talk about them rather than just write a list.

I discovered Beth just as I started blogging in May 2013. I loved her blog which was full of reviews, advice and even some more personal posts. She has been on and off blogging, like a lot of us teen bloggers do from time to time. But Beth has never lost sense of herself even though she has a lot of followers now and whenever she comes back it puts a smile on my face. We have tweeted each other and I have got involved in her blogging challenge, and overall she is just such a lovely person.

The brains behind this blogmas project, but also the brain behind an amazing blog. She is such a lovely person, and again blogs about everything that I love to read. Not only that, but she has gorgeous hair!! She is also great to Snapchat when you are bored... or need to vent excitement out on something.

We worked on a little project some time ago together and although it was a little bit of a fail, we had a great time working together organising it. I just think we got carried away and failed to realise that it will take time to run. However, Elizabeth, although an occasional blogger, makes lovely posts. Elizabeth is also a very kind and thoughtful person and there have been plenty of times that she has messaged me checking I am okay... which is just so lovely.

Monday, 15 December 2014

Today I thought that it would be nice for me to share with you a few of my favourite Christmas movies... because... I FREAKING LOVE CHRISTMAS MOVIES... and that is what I have been told to write, but we can pretend I haven't said that. Rather then me rambling with a long intro I am going to jump straight into it...

Elf

This film seems to be a general favourite with the world's population, probably because of it's heartwarming yet hilarious story line. It is about a boy/man called Buddy who one day crawled into Santa's sack and was bought home and bought up by elves. But as he grew up he wanted to find his Dad and the story is mostly about Buddy finding his Dad and learning how to fit into the real world, and also goes on a quest to liven up the Christmas spirit.

Santa Clause 2

As Santa is getting older his elves begin to worry that he will one day be unable to do his job. That's when his job gets taken over by a robot clone and the real Santa and his family have to work together to keep the real Santa's job, whilst getting Charlie (Santa's son) off of the naughty list.

The Holiday

A romance about two ladies who are fed up of where they live and decide to do a life swap (USA to UK) during the festive season. This gives the two leading actresses a chance to let their hair down and rebuild their lives in completely different ways.

Deck The Halls

This movie is about a family that have just moved in and at first do not seem to get on with their neighbours. The plot of the story is that the father of the new household wants to be the most festive man in the area and starts up a quest to make his house visible from space in the dark by using only Christmas lights.

Sunday, 14 December 2014

Firstly I want to apologise for missing 3 days of Blogmas, however I did pre-warn you that December is a very busy month for me. Don't get me wrong... I love it, but the amount my life has changed recently meant that I really did not have the time to sit down and write a tonne of blog posts everyday last week. I thought I would do a very quick recap of my week and how much it has changed. Firstly, I turned 17, then I started work *my first proper job* and I have also started learning to drive. Yep... busy week.

Anyway, I am going to try my utmost best to blog everyday this week, starting from today... with some Christmas Inspiration., wrapping edition... because I am pretty sure we are fed up with using the usual wrapping techniques.

Sources: Pinterest

Chalkboard wrapping paper

This is such a nice idea because being able to personalise wrapping paper is so meaningful, but also if you make mistakes you can just rub it off and start again. Plus, chalkboards are a massive trend at the moment so of course people would be happy with this wrapping paper.

Brown paper packages tied up with strings...

...these are a few of my favourite things. It just looks so classic and kitsch. Plus, who doesn't love a brown paper package tied up with a string? You can even get brown wrapping paper with festive designs, for example, snowflake covered brown paper.

Tying something onto the present.

Be it some cute little buttons, a sprig of a Christmas tree, or even a candy cane. Adding something extra onto your presents can really give the gift the "wow factor" before it has even been opened. This idea incorporated with the brown paper idea will look amazing.

I hope I have given you some wrapping inspiration... what do you do to wrap up your presents?

Wednesday, 10 December 2014

Today I am going to be sharing with you all ideas of what to get the men in your life for Christmas. Be it you Father's, brothers or even boyfriends, all of these ideas will hopefully give you enough inspiration if you are stuck with gift ideas... as sometimes it can be a little tricky to know what to get your loved ones as you do not want to disappoint.

Tuesday, 9 December 2014

Today's theme was to write a post about food and my original idea was to write about what I ate in a day, but it seems that I forgot my brain and every time I eat something I fail to a picture of it. Plus, my slightly unhealthy diet is a little bit of an embarrassment. For that reason I am writing a post about some party food ideas for any of you that may be hosting parties over the festive season.

The Obvious

I'm going to start this post with the obvious snack that you can have at a party because they tend to be the easiest and cheapest to put together. The first things are lots of crisps, nachos and dips. My favourite dips include, salsa, nacho cheese and sour cream and chive dip. You could also have sweets, cake, cocktail sausages and of course PIZZA!! Another option is always buying the sets of party food from the freezer sections of the Supermarkets. They are always yummy!!

The Not so Obvious...

Little kebabs of things... you know... pineapple, feta cheese, olives, palma ham. Just lots of yummy stuff on cocktail sticks really. You could also bake some cakes, or even make some DIY bits that you might find on Pinterest are always an idea, as we all know that a lot of people love making nice little bits around the festive season.

Monday, 8 December 2014

If you are aware, I am the Birthday girl and I am totally 17 now, whoop whoop!! But, to celebrate this special day, on Friday night I had a little Birthday Party around my house. As today's theme was a photo diary I thought I would show you some party photos, trying my best not to embarrass my friends in anyway. But, I hope you like these little pictures and I will write a little bit about my party after.

I do firstly want to apologise for the terrible lighting in all of these pictures, but it was night time and dark, so I hope you can understand.

I had a fab evening. It actually started with me getting home in the evening to find that my new school bag had finally arrived *I broke my old one* and in the parcel were not one but two chocolate bars. It's almost as if ASOS knew it was my Birthday or something. Anyway, I highly recommend the Ritz Cadbury chocolate bars because they taste absolutely delicious.

I then got ready in my new skirt and top and curled my hair to make it look different and pretty. And then soon after I arranged everything around ready for the party my friends arrived. Our evening consisted of music, dancing, food, pizza takeaway and just fun, as we don't see eachother as a group of friends all together very often.

Sunday, 7 December 2014

Today I will be sharing with you what is on my Christmas (and Birthday) list this year, as it might give you ideas if you have no idea what you want this year. And also because we're all nosey people really and love to know what people are hoping for from Santa Clause. Yes. I am super excited, and yes. I have wishes for quite a lot of things. Although, of course I am not expecting to get everything.

Cloud 9 Original Hair Straighteners

Spotify Premium

Girl Online by Zoe Sugg

Les Miserables DVD

The Fault in our Stars DVD

Stila in the Light Palette

First Aid Beauty Skin Rescue Purifying Mask with Red Clay

Clinique Chubby Stick Moisturising Lip Colour Balm in Pudge Peony

MAC Lipstick in Rebel

MAC Lipstick in Violetta

MAC Powder Blush in Well Dressed

Rianna Honey Boots (loveclothing.com)

Yankee Candles

Jewellery

What are you hoping to get this Christmas?

I will speak to you tomorrow, when I will officially be 17. Yep!! That's right,,, it's my Birthday tomorrrow. Whoop Whoop!! PAAAAARRRTAAAAYY!!

Saturday, 6 December 2014

Happy Saturday, I hope you have all had a wonderful week and are looking forward to spending the weekend chillaxing. It's my Birthday weekend and I am certainly super excited, I could almost pee myself with excitement... but I won't because that could be really embarrassing.

Today's theme was to do a general gift guide which I personally feel is quite difficult without having any particular theme, so I thought I would talk about Stocking Fillers... all of which I have found on Urban Outfitters and notonthehighstreet.com... they're great for gifts... okay?!

1. Audiology Portable Phone Charger, because I mean... come on? Literally everyone needs one of these in their life even if they try and deny it, £20, found here.

2. Santa Socks, because what is Christmas without a new pair of socks? £8, found here.

3. The original miracle melting snowman, it's a snowman that melts again and again and again! What is this sorcery? £10, found here.

4. Make your own snow Christmas Kit... how fun does this sound, £4, found here.

5. Personalised Star Christmas Decorations, because it is cute and everybody loves getting new Christmas Decorations, £7, found here.

6. Hot Chocolate Dippers With Marshmallows, I don't care who you are, we all love Hot Chocolate... okay... some people don't... but most people do! £12, found here.

7. Sock Monkey Craft Kit, mostly because I find sock monkey's cute, but also because it is something to do, £12, found here.

8. Finally... just for a bit of fun... A Toy Catapult with Foam Balls, because everybody loves something fun to mess around with on Christmas morning no matter what your age is, £6.95, found here.

Friday, 5 December 2014

I haven't read this year's Christmas book yet... but I thought however I could do a review of the Christmas book I read last year that I'm pretty sure my mum bought me for a joke a few years ago. Basically, for years I have always begged my mum to buy me a dog but because she was bitten by one of my Nan's dogs before I was born she has very much hated dogs. So, she then bought me a book called, The Puppy that Came for Christmas... by Megan Rix.

The Puppy that Came for Christmas is both an emotional but very sweet book for Christmas and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It is quite different to what I would normally read, because normally I would pick up a romantic novel, or even a classic novel. However, there was something special about this book that made me thoroughly enjoy it.

The story is about a couple called Megan (the author) and Ian who unfortunately struggled to have children after getting married and therefore decided to start looking after puppies for their first 6 months of training into being Helper Dogs. Unfortunately, after doing this twice with two adorable puppies, the first one called Emma and the second called Freddy, they started to find it too painful having to return the puppies for them to further their work with the charity, and therefore stopped.

But then, one Christmas they decided to get a puppy of their own called Traffy, which would be much less painful for them because they would not have to give her up.

This is a true story, which I suppose makes this even more heartwarming for Christmas. I really commend Megan for sharing her story with everyone.

I hope you enjoyed this little book review, and I will see you tomorrow.

Thursday, 4 December 2014

Today's theme was a Christmas Decoration Wishlist, and as it is a wishlist I thought... wishes... dreams... a girl can dream right? And, as soon as I thought about that I thought about Liberty's Christmas decorations, that's why I am doing my wishlist based on them, even though I obviously couldn't afford these decorations.

Wednesday, 3 December 2014

Today I am going to be sharing with you 24 things that I love about Christmas, because "It's the most wonderful time of the year!". Believe it or not, Christmas is my favourite thing... honestly, every year I get so excited about it in August and by January I am crying that is over. I literally refuse to take my decorations down until the 12th day of Christmas, that's how bad my Christmas obsession is. I LOVE IT SOOOOOO MUCH!!

1. Ice-skating with friends and family.

2. Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park.

3. Christmas Dinner... mmmmm... turkey and cranberry sauce!!

4.Minced Pies.

5. Secret Santa... although a challenge buying a present on a small budget, it is always great fun trying to guess who's got eachother.

6. Making gingerbread houses... it is always so much fun.

7. Christmas music... Jingle Bell Rock! Oh, and Bing Crosby!

8. Being together as a family, I love seeing everybody that sometimes you only ever see at Christmas.

9. Choosing gifts for your friends and family.

10. Christmas Shopping!

11. Christmas pudding.

12. Eating leftovers on Boxing Day... it's family tradition and always great... until you are suffering with a food baby by the evening.

13. Christmas movies.

14. Christmas jumpers, because Christmas jumpers are just the best!

15. Snow... if we get it.

16. The Christmas Yankee Candles, mmm mmm, delicious!

17. Decorating the Christmas Tree.

18. Driving around the town looking at all of the Christmas Lights.

19. The Christmas markets.

20. The Christmas light switch on... always a special evening.

21. Christmas carols.

22. Tinsel!

23. Christmas DIYs, always great fun.

24. The Christmas Spirit... because nearly everybody is happy and smiley and it is just so special!

Tuesday, 2 December 2014

Today I will be sharing with you a little gift guide of what to give your girly friends for Christmas this year, so if you are still stuck on what to buy them then this will be the post for you... I hope. I will be doing all of my gifts for different price ranges to suit everyone, and they will be a mix of my favourite places to buy gifts.

1. A compact tangle teezer which are great little things to carry around with you on a windy day to get rid of your horrible knots, £13, found here.

2. Old-fashioned Polaroid camera, a bit more expensive but any girl will love this if they have no idea what to get for an extra special gift, photography, vintage and decoration... perfection, £160, found here.

Monday, 1 December 2014

Today is the first day of the #bigblogmasproject2014, which means I should be blogging everyday between now and New Year. Wow!! This is going to be a crazy month. I do want to add I have my birthday, a Christmas show, a finance mock and Christmas and New Year obviously. So, this month is certainly going to be a crazy ride.

However, today I am going to be doing a post about what winter means to me, because I personally think that everybody has a different view on what winter really is and what it means to them.

Winter means to me cosy nights in with hot chocolates and movies whilst snuggling up under fuzzy blankets.
Winter means to me family nights in watching Christmas movies and eating roast dinner.
Winter means to me fuzzy socks to keep your feet warm on frosty mornings on the way to school.
Winter means to me, time for your most glittery and glam dresses to emerge from you wardrobe ready to party.
Winter means to me baking for family when usually you wouldn't.
Winter means to me sitting around a nice warm fire, or in our case putting the heating on full and putting a pretend DVD fireplace on the TV.
Winter means to me wearing massive jumpers and not caring about what you look like as long as you are warm.
Winter means to me shopping with family buying gifts for others and yourself.
Winter means to me, a special time of giving and loving.
Toodles,EmilyBelleBlogs x

Friday, 28 November 2014

I have been a very BAD BLOGGER, I'm sorry for my short disappearance but basically I needed to get a new anti-virus for my laptop and I didn't want to use the internet unprotected. Plus, I blog at weekends and therefore didn't have any time to write my posts during the week once my anti-virus had been renewed, so I think that is a pretty valid reason. Not only that, but I am giving blogmas a go this year. I'm not going to 100% promise I will be amazing at it because I clearly don't have all the time in the world, but I will give it my best shot.

Today however, I am doing a DIY post on how to make some quick and easy cute decorative owls to place in your window to make it look all cute for winter.

What you will need...

Some toilet roll tubes (depending on how many you want to make)

A Black Marker Pen

Method

1. Firstly, you will want to ensure that you have a completely round and undamaged toilet roll tube. If you have issues with germs on the empty toilet roll tube you can cut a kitchen roll tube in half and use that.

2. Fold the very top of the tube inwards on the front and back so it creates to pointy ear bit for the owls.

3. Once you have done this you will have the basic shape of the owl and you can now draw on your owl design including, wings, belly, eyes, beak and other extra fancy things if you want to.

Saturday, 22 November 2014

If there is one thing that Walt Disney taught me it is that dreams can come true. However, I unfortunately feel as though a lot of people lack dreams. People push their dreams aside and label them as, "Ridiculous" or "Daft". But my question is, how can you know that is the case without trying? Of course our dreams are "Stupid" and "Pointless" without giving them a try, besides, the worst that can happen is that they won't work out.

Source: Weheartit (edited by me)

My dreams consist of a long list of things I want to do... a very long list. Will they be hardwork to achieve? Yes. Will they be impossible to achieve? No! My motivation and drive comes from nowhere else but my inner hope. my inner passion; my knowledge that achieving what I have always dreamt of will be the most rewarding thing the could ever happen.

It doesn't matter when or how I achieve my dreams, what matters is that I haven't dreamt of them and then pushed them aside as a lost cause. You want to be a veterinary nurse but are worried that the university course will be too difficult, so you've pushed the thought away and decided to work in a Chippy for the rest of your life. What kind of life is that? Not even trying, not even wanting to dream more is sad.

I have my dream life planned in my head, sure I may not be 100% lucky with achieving my dreams all of the time, but even the thought can make you smile... change a day in fact. Sometimes when I've had a pooey day I'll just think of all the great things that are to come and it instantly puts a smile on my face. Sometimes, all you need is a dream to make your life so much happier and more worthwhile.

Thursday, 20 November 2014

Today I have a long awaited beauty review for you as I know that I haven't written about makeup and stuff in ageeeeeeeess. But, I thought you would forgive me if I wrote about one of my most favourite lip products, and if you know me well by now, I have a massive love for lip products but this is by far one of the best I own... so props to clinique for being flipping awesome!

Colour

The colour of Clinique's Super Strawberry Chubby Stick looks quite dark and daunting in the packaging, but to be honest it is actually fairly sheer. However, I would never put this down as a bad thing because I feel as though because it is a very light red it is still perfect for the winter months, but is also perfect for school and work where it perhaps isn't so appropriate to be rocking the vampy lips. Also, this colour is perfect if you want to get into dark lips but are perhaps feeling a little shy from it... because homegirl I know it can be a huge transition.

Formula

Ohemgeeee!! Can we just talk about how exceptional the formula of this baby is? It so ravingly smooth and silky that it could get confused with a lip balm it is so tremendous. Honestly, my lips are trying to escape from my face right now and it feels like the Clinique Chubby Stick is curing them. Chubby Stick... please tell me your secrets?

Price

Coming down to it the price of the product was never going to be cheap considering how incredible it is. It is £17 which is a bit of a stretch, but to be quite frank I would definitely pay that much for it. This one I did receive free in a magazine, but since eyeing up the other colours in the Moisturising Lip Colour Balm range I am very tempted to treat myself to another for my Birthday.

Tuesday, 18 November 2014

I don't really have time to be bored anymore, I don't know whether that is because I am busy, or whether it is just because I seem to be better at filling my time then I used to be. But, occasionally I will still have that day when I just want to "hurmph" in the corner because everybody else is busy and I have absolutely nothing to do. This is why I thought I would compile a list of, believe it or not, 24 things to do when you are bored!

1. Build a fort... just grab some sheets and pillows from your airing cupboard and voila you can make a fort.

2. Go for a run... or a walk if you don't fancy running.

3. Go for a hike... up a mountain if you are lucky enough to live in a hilly area. Or if you live in a flat rural area like me walk across some fields. Or around Central Park if you happen to live in New York City... unfortunately that is not something I can do unless I fancy paying silly amounts for a 6 hour flight and then a quick stroll around.

4. Play with your pets... or a random cat if you don't happen to have any pets.

5. Write your bucket list... and be serious... do you really climb Everest?

Monday, 17 November 2014

Since my hiatus from blogging is now over and you guys probably all assumed that I was growing apart from it for whatever reason I have decided I should write about why I love blogging. This way you guys will know that blogging is still a great hobby of mine and also that if you want to start blogging then you should, because it is amazing and if you work hard at it, blogging can also be very rewarding.

Sources: WeHeartIt (edited by moi)

It's so rewarding

I was going to leave this until the last point, because it is probably the best point, but I couldn't wait for myself to talk about it, thus I thought I would jump straight into the point on blogging being so gratifying.

Blogging is something that I do as a hobby... something I do to vent, I am a chatterbox by nature and having a blog for me was just something that I could use to talk about my adventures, loves and creations. What I didn't realise when I started blogging is how much pride you can get from such small achievements. A new follow and pageview still makes me smile even today. When someone Tags me in a post I feel a little bubble of joy explode inside me. There is also this new thing *I presume it's new* on twitter, where people #ff, I think it means favourite Friday, but I don't really know. Whenever I get tagged in a #ff I fill up with delight. "Why did they choose me?" I might ask myself, but deep down I know it's because they enjoy what I do, and it is their way of thanking me, when all I really want to do is give them a big squeeze and thank them.

Source: @akwardstagram

I guess all I am trying to say is that sometimes people do not realise how much pleasure I get from the little things of blogging. I have mentioned it a billion times, but honestly, if you have low self-esteem or need a confidence boost give blogging a go. Sometimes you only need the small things to make you feel 100x better.

The excuses...

Okay... so this perhaps is a little naughty, but I do feel like blogging can make you have a good excuse to treat yourself. Whether it be makeup, clothes or even something which is my personal favourite... stationery. I guess you shouldn't have to have an excuse to treat yourself, but sometimes it feels better to have a reason to buy something. When I am buying something I am not buying it for the sake of my blog, but sometimes when I buy things I do like to think, "Oh! My readers my enjoy hearing about this!".

The community

The final point I want to make about my love for blogging is the community that you become a part of. I have made friends with so many beautiful by being part of the blogisphere. Everybody is so welcoming, and I am yet to find anyone that is particularly rude. If things happen, people always seem to be happy to help, and are always willing to give a virtual shoulder to cry on. Honestly, the people I have found through blogging are some of the most amazing human beings... they get me, and to be honest I can be pretty hard to "get" at the best of times. But we also all have a common interest, and that is why I think the blogging community is such an amazing thing.

Sunday, 16 November 2014

I bet you are all wondering where I have been, and to be honest, I've been nowhere. Just school and the normal stuff that I do in my life. Except I knew I needed a short break from blogging, which I will get on to in a moment. Believe it or not, this has been the longest I have ever gone without blogging, mostly because I would never let myself rest from blogging for so long. This time however, I really needed a break otherwise I think I may have exploded, plus, I blog for fun, therefore I shouldn't have to put loads of pressure on myself to do it.

Let's just say the last few weeks have been hard. I think things have just slowly built up inside me, and although I had a great half term break the things I pushed aside during it made me forget that school isn't so easy, you do have to work hard, and sometimes things won't go to plan. In sixth form things are very different, and I think that part of what had been making me feel so pooey is not having the same people around me to give me a bit of motivation to feel happy and excited for things.

Generally, if you know me well I am a very excitable person, this can have it's pros as well as cons. I always look forward to everything, but most of the time I get very nervous too, even for the smallest of things. I do think that nervousness and overthinking is fairly normal for someone my age, but I guess I just felt that way a bit too much recently. Why? I'm not 100% sure, and it was making me not 100% enjoy things that were going on.

Yes, a few things happened, I got hit by a bike, I got declined from a job interview which I got into the very last process for, I lost a 10,000 word essay *I'm still annoyed about that*, I found out my friends were going to a concert that I couldn't afford the day before my birthday and I managed to fall out with a friend which never happens. I kind of stopped enjoying the little things, and became quite negative, and every single day I would think of something new to add to my list of reasons to feel like rubbish.

For the last few days however I thought to myself "What is the point of feeling sorry for myself anymore? Has anything that has happened really been that bad? I'm sure I can do other great things and not feel so crap about what is going on!" And from that point things have been going great... I played house dodgeball and we won, I helped out with one of the Sixth Form Christmas projects, I helped with the collection for Children In Need on Friday dressed as Supergirl and had a really fun day. I've planned a lovely evening out with my bestfriend that I barely see anymore for next week. I booked my first driving lessons. I am going to Choccywoccydoodah in 6 months time *I had to add that in there*. And instead of going to the concert which I would've found far too stressful anyway, I am going with my mum to see Paul Hollywood on tour; it may seem strange but it will be something that I'll enjoy more.

I think that it is important to remember that no matter how rubbish you feel, most of the time it is the way you are perceiving things that is making you feel like that. It is okay to have a few down days, it is okay to admit you haven't been feeling yourself. But, it is not okay to keep letting it bring you down, to the point that you feel stressed all of the time. Stuff *I didn't want to swear* happens! Part of our journey in life is to go through bad times, so that we grow as people, but also appreciate the great times better.

No one ever said life is easy, and no one ever said that you would always be fine. But, one thing someone did say is that, "The most important thing is to enjoy life- to be happy- it's all that matters." -Audrey Hepburn.

Thursday, 6 November 2014

Again I am sorry for being a bit on and off on my blog for a little while but I am waiting for things to settle down a bit before I have decided on a proper changed schedule... so we are going to be a tad RANDOM for the moment.

Anywhoooo... today I am going to show you how to make my signature, "Do you want a drink?" drink, which is a Skittles Milkshake. After trying these out at Shakeaway a few years ago and decided I loved them loads, I decided to create my own recipe, and I think it is about time I share it with you all.

What you will need!!

Nice Vanilla Ice-cream

Full Fat Milk

Sharing bag of Skittles

Method

1. Put four scoops of the vanilla ice-cream into a blender.

2. Pour most of the pack of skittles into the blender, depending on how strong you want the milkshake to be.

3. Add the milk until it is about half-way up the level of ice-cream... I just measure by eye, bad habit, I know.

4. Pulse the blender so that it breaks up all of the skittles and then leave the blender on a high spend for about a minute.

5. Pour that Bad Boy into a gigantic glass... or two little ones if you like.

Monday, 3 November 2014

As I thought it is Guy Fawke's night on Wednesday evening, I thought it would be the perfect opportunity for me to discuss with you what essentials you should take with you whilst you are going to a firework display, or even what fun traditions you should get involved with this year.

What to wear...

1. A nice snuggly coat, because it gets dark early now it can get a little nippy and you will want to stay nice a warm.

2. Some gloves, these keep your hands warm, but also if you want to use sparklers it is much safer to be wearing gloves and ensuring you hold them arms length away from you to avoid getting burnt.

3. A hat or earmuffs, you want to keep your ears and head warm if you want to stay comfortable during a firework display.

4. Boots and fluffy socks, feet are another place you can easily loose heat from and therefore you want to keep them nice and warm.

What to eat...

1. Honestly, I love a good traditional hotdog or burger that you can buy from burger vans that are often placed around firework displays. They are so fun!

2. If you are going to a friends firework display or are hosting your own, have some Chilli Con Carne or even a nice warming flask of soup.

3. If you are spending the evening inside or in you garden, have a nice hot chocolate with whipped cream and marshmallows instead. Or you can even make s'mores on a chimnea.

What to do...

1. You can firstly see whether there are any local firework displays where you are because they are always fun to attend.

2. You could just have an evening in with your friends, with hot chocolates, popcorn and movies if being out in the cold watching fireworks isn't your thing.

3. Or make a small, SAFE, fire in your backgarden in a fire pit or chimnea, and even make a mini Guy to burn, because that is the original Guy Fawkes tradition that often is forgotten nowadays.

Sunday, 2 November 2014

I say this every month, but I literally cannot believe it is November already, and that we are now in the last couple of months of 2014. So far this year has gone so fast, it has a few downs... but mostly ups and I am so excited to see what November and December have to bring. I have so much planned for this blog, yet so little time, so I am still learning how I can manage it better, so for the time being bare with me if my blogging schedule is a bit all over the place. The darker nights are certainly making the blog photography a little more tricky.

However, today I thought I would share with you my favourites for the month of October, which came as a bit of a mixed bag of a month for me. But it certainly ended on a high and for that I am very thankful and very, very happy.

Beauty

This month I have been loving something that has been raved about in beauty world no-end and that is Rimmel London Kate Moss 107 lipstick. It is the perfect dark autumnal red and it just looks so amazing when you fancy having a dark lip day. I also love the fact that it is matte, because that makes it slightly different from all of the other reds I own. However it can be a tad drying on the lips.

Fashion

I bought an oversized red shirt from Sainsbury's this month, and "oh my goodness" I absolutely love it. It is the perfect cut, perfect length and so versatile. It can be worn tucked in or out, or made to look smart or casual. And for a supermarket piece of clothing as well, it shocks my mind #mindblown.

Life

Two words... autumn and Halloween. Two of my favourite things, and that is why I love this time of year. You can go on nice walks and breathe in the nice crisp autumnal air and crunch in fields of knee deep leaves, and everything is so tranquil. And then Halloween, the best excuse to go wild with your makeup, have all-nighter parties and decorate your room so it looks haunted. I even had a lovely party with my friends on Friday night and it was just so perfect... I might even talk about that some more another time.

Food

Chedds Nibbles are my new obsession, they are cute, tiny and delicious. Plus, they taste somewhat more special then a normal block of cheddar cheese. I have been converted, and will never be reverting back to the good ol' block of cheese. CHEDDS FOR LIFE!! Also, I have been loving the frothy goodness of Aero Hot Chocolate... need I say more?

Music

Finally, music... and something that is very unlike me is that my two favourite songs this month are from two very popular boybands, The Vamps and One Direction. Normally, I like their music but never get their songs stuck in my head for days at a time... but this month they have done it. With Cecilia by The Vamps and Steal My Girl by One Direction, which are my two feel good songs of the season.

Friday, 31 October 2014

Hey Hey!! I have a bonus post for you all today because I thought it would be fun to get involved with the Halloween Tag! Oh yeh... Happy Halloween by the way, I hope you are having a great day and are not eating too many sweets, we don't want you to be poorly.

Sources: WeHeartIt Edited By Me!!

1. What is you favourite Halloween movie?

My favourite Halloween movie is probably E.T, mainly because it is the only film that I have ever watched that I suppose is classed as "Halloweeny". But, I also really enjoy the film because Elliot and E.T's friendship is beautiful. I even have an E.T plushy toy. Is that sad?

2. If you were in a horror movie how far would you get?

I would probably not do very well to be perfectly honest. I am the worlds biggest baby and would probably end up sacrificing myself after 10 minutes. I can't even watch horror movies without crying with fear.

3. What is your favourite memory of Halloween?

My favourite memory of Halloween is that every year we used to carve the worlds biggest pumpkins (well my dad did) from my Grandad's allotment. My dad used to carve some really amazing intricate designs which used to blow my mind. We would then go to our schools Halloween disco before trick or treating around the neighbourhood, where my neighbours always played a wacky trick on us.

4. Your best/worst Halloween Costume?

I have always dressed up as pretty much the same witch, so I guess it is my best and worst.

5. How do you get into the Halloween spirit?

To get into the Halloween spirit I like to decorate my room with loads of Halloween things and then also carve a pumpkin. It is so fun!

6. Favourite Halloween decoration

My favourite Halloween decoration is a wall decoration that has orange and white stripes and in the middle a big black stamp thing that says, "Happy Halloween".

7. Name one unusual thing you are afraid of

Ermm... I don't really like feet but I wouldn't necessarily say that is a fear. I have a huge fear of vomit, but I know that isn't unusual and is quite a common phobia. But I also hate people touching my oblique area... honestly I am so ticklish that if you as much as poke me there I will probably pee myself (literally) and end up running off in pure embarrassment... it's a problem.

8. Vampires or zombies?

Vampires

9. Werewolves of ghosts?

Ghosts

10. Creepy dolls or creepy clowns?

Creepy dolls

11. Do you believe in ghosts?

No!

I hope you enjoyed this little ghostly post and I should see you tomorrow.

Thursday, 30 October 2014

It's been a while since I have done an Embakes post, but today I thought that as it is Halloween tomorrow and a lot of us are trying to think of things to take to our Halloween parties I would share a couple of my favourite Halloween recipes with you all. I am really excited about sharing these recipes because they are my favourite things to make at this time of the year, and of course when I write posts like these I can eat the food afterwards... well... kind of! I do have to save some of the offerings for a party I am going to tomorrow, but more on that another time.

Sausage Mummies

Ingredients

500g puff pastry

10 large hot dog sausages

1 egg

Yellow mustard to serve

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 190'c. Place a silicon sheet (or baking parchment if you haven't got one) on a metal baking sheet. Then roll out the puff pastry to thickness of 5mm onto a lightly floured surface. Then cut this into ten long strips.

2. Wrap the pastry strips around the sausages leaving a gap at the top of each so the mummies can see *yes, I am that kind, but you know, my pleasure*. This should look like the sausage is wrapped up in bandages, so if it doesn't you have probably gone wrong somewhere and may want to try again.

3. Beat the egg with a teaspoon of water and brush it over the pastry so that when they are baked they have a golden brown glazed look to them. Bake them in the oven for 15 minutes or until the pastry has risen and is golden. Allow to cool and then pipe on little mustard eyes, because that's cute and we don't want them to be too scary to eat.

Meringue Ghosts

Ingredients

250g icing sugar

4 egg whites

a little melted chocolate

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 140'c. Sift the icing sugar into a large heatproof bowl and add the egg whites. Stand the bowl over a pan of simmering water and whisk until the mixture is very thick. Remove from the heat and continue whisking until cool.

2. Spoon the meringue mixture into a piping bag (you do not need to worry about a piping nozzle) and pipe the ghosts in a zig zag fashion onto a baking sheet, creating a larger blob at the beginning to form a head.

3. Bake for 1 hour, when done the meringues should be dry and lift off of the baking sheet easily, but shouldn't have started to colour.

4. Allow to cool and then pipe on some little chocolate eyes.

I hope you enjoyed this little post, happy baking and happy halloween.

Tuesday, 28 October 2014

I thought I would try something a little more halloweeny this year and set myself a challenge of carving a pumpkin. I'm not going to lie... I think I'm better at sticking to my day job... oh wait... but I wouldn't necessarily say that my pumpkin carving was terrible either. However, I probably need a little more practice pumpkin carving, seeing as this is the first time I've ever carved one *yes, this is my 16th halloween yet I have still never carved a pumpkin*.

I think I was trying to go for the crooked smile, evil look pumpkin, which to be honest I believe I did achieve. However, I did notice shortly after I started carving my pumpkin, that he was leaning downwards, bless him. Did I mention that I named him Patrick? Get it? Patrick the Pumpkin. Nope, I thought not. Back to the leaning issues, I managed to wedge part of the cut out eye underneath Patrick so that he was standing up right and looked a little less "hunchback" to put it nicely.

Before I started carving my pumpkin I did start off with a template, but I couldn't find any sellotape, so when I looked at my pin-prick guidelines after using my templates, I quickly came to the revelation that there is no way I could deal with eyes that were completely different angles to one another. I also realised that because I think I am clever and skilled on the carving front, I hadn't thought through how tricky it would be to carve out intricate details with a carving knife that only comes out to carve the turkey at Christmas.

Overall though, I enjoyed my pumpkin carving and I think I will have to make it a yearly tradition, hence why I have put "2014" in the title. Maybe if I do it yearly I will eventually be able to achieve a carving that looks perhaps a little more professional then the one I have sitting on my dining room table today. But, all I can say is... at least I tried, and to be honest, being afraid of sticking a knife through a pumpkin for the rest of my life was just not going to cut it. I do AS Food Tech for goodness sake... it's no different to cutting a carrot... okay... well... maybe a little... or a lot.

Monday, 27 October 2014

It's time I have a rant, about the bad press that Monday has been getting, for, well... as long as I can remember. But, I do not understand why, since when have people said it's okay for Monday to be a day of being miserable? Never! We need to reinvent Monday, and turn it into a positive thing, so I am going to talk about how I am going to do my bit to make Monday's great!

Source: Weheartit & Edited: By Me!!

1. Monday is a fresh start!

We forget that Monday is the day that we can start the week fresh faced, and in some cases fresh headed. Put last weeks mistakes behind you and know that this is a new start. We learn from our mistakes, and Monday is the day we can put that into practice. Monday is not an excuse to start another bad week.

2. Plan before

Perhaps planning what you want to do on Monday is good idea. But remember, keep it positive and don't over-do it. There is only so much you can do in a day, and too much on the to-do list can make you feel unmotivated and then negative about it being a Monday, when it should be a positive thing.

3. Monday's are positive

Think about what you say, think about what you tweet. Nobody said that it is okay to decide Monday is a bad day as soon as you wake up on this particular day of the week. Wake up and think "I'm going to have a good week." It all starts with a positive mindset.